Organizers & Participants In Prince Concert Sound Off

ADDISON (CBSDFW.COM) – Turns out the ever-changing world of theEvent is back off.

The Hotel Intercontinental confirmed to CBSDFW.com that the concert was canceled around 8:30 p.m. Friday.

No, you didn’t imagine that theEvent, the concert featuring Prince and Dallas’-own Erykah Badu, was back on after being canceled this afternoon. A statement originally announcing the cancellation was rescinded this afternoon.

Confused? So are we. And so was Scarlett Deering, a Boston music student who flew in to open for Prince and Badu.

“We were told we needed to be there at 6:30 for a sound check,” she said, “we got there and nobody knew what was going on.”

Just after lunch Friday, the charity set to benefit from the show, singer George Michael and his partner’s Goss-Michael Foundation, sent out a press release statement saying the concert was canceled.

“We are extremely disappointed that theEvent featuring Prince, scheduled for Friday, February 4, at the Intercontinental Hotel, has been cancelled. It is our understanding that River Alexander Group, the event organizer, was unable to fund and produce the evening. The organizer came to The Goss-Michael Foundation, invited us to be the beneficiary and receive some of the proceeds which would have gone to our high school scholarship program.” – Joyce Goss, Executive Director, The Goss-Michael Foundation

Minutes later the foundation sent the following press release. “Circumstances have changed and theEvent featuring Prince WILL take place this evening. The previous statement is rescinded. Prince has arrived in Dallas and will perform this evening.”

First,’ Prince is coming!’ His ‘Purple Majesty’ in North Texas, wonderful. Not so fast my friend. Second, the concert is just for the ‘Beautiful People’, expect to cough up $1,500, or more, a seat.

Third, we were going to have theEvent, which the show was billed as, outside, in a tent at the former Reunion Arena site, but on second thought…. Fourth, weather looks a little damp and chilly, theEvent is moving to Addison. Let the only rain falling on you be purple at the Intercontinental Hotel. And that $1,500 ticket cost now gets you two for the price of one.

Fifth, the Goss-Michael Foundation cancels the show. Sixth, the foundation takes it all back and says Prince is here and ready to party.

And seventh the show is a no-go.

“I take the blame because at some point you should end it, I didn’t,” said emcee and organizer Chris Arnold, who is also game-night emcee for the Dallas Mavericks. “I didn’t want to let the people down that were working so hard.”

Organizers said weather played a role, but insist that money had nothing to do with the cancellation.

However, executive director for the Goss-Michael Foundation Joyce Goss issued a statement Saturday saying, “It continues to be our understanding that River Alexander Group, the event organizer, was unable to fund and produce the evening.”

For many, the first Goss-Michael statement was unclear as to whether the pricey tickets were too much for fans and didn’t sell, or if there was something off kilter with promoter/organizer, the River Alexander Group.

It appears the footnote at the bottom of the first Goss-Michael press release still applies and there will be “no interviews” concerning Friday’s events.

Through it all, the website for the concert, theEvent, remained online and continued to sell tickets. Those who purchased can receive refunds at point-of-purchase, organizers said.

Sad to say, a lot of times the production groups that are supposed to bring artist to town do not have their stuff together. It is the production groups’ responsibility to get everything set up from A to Z, that includes ticket sales, venue set up, and getting the band to the venue. There have been many times an artist was ‘advertised’ as coming to Dallas, but the artist knew nothing about it. I really feel sorry for the foundation, I am sure they were counting on those donations.

He went the way of the Village People concert at Fair Park. Slow tickets sales and it is canceled. Who wants to see them anyway? My husband & I were talking last night and only people our age would even know who the Village People are. The ones that have the money to spend don’t know who they are. And as far as Prince or whatever his name is this week, I wouldn’t pay 15 cents to see him, much less $1,500.